Marcellus Wiley is willing to admit his marriage had problems. What he will not accept, according to his newest court filing, is the word abuse.
The former NFL star and ESPN personality filed a formal response late Friday afternoon to the domestic violence restraining order request submitted by his estranged wife, Annemarie Wiley, according to TMZ. In the filing, he acknowledges the couple experienced disagreements, frustrations and periods of real strain over their 12-year marriage, but insists he never physically abused, sexually assaulted or intentionally harmed her at any point.
The response marks his most detailed answer yet to allegations that have upended the family since early July, and it arrives with the clock ticking toward a pivotal court date.
What each side is claiming
Annemarie, a former cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, filed for divorce earlier this month and requested the restraining order, alleging in court documents a continuing and escalating pattern of physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial control and intimidation. Her declaration includes allegations of rape, claims Marcellus has forcefully rejected.
In his filing, the former defensive end describes the accusations as heartbreaking, embarrassing and untrue, per TMZ. He states he never forced or coerced his wife into intimacy, and says it pains him to learn she characterizes moments from their marriage that way. He also asserts that police were never called to their home for alleged abuse during the marriage, and that he first learned of her allegations only after she filed for divorce.
The July 4 arrest at the center of it all
The legal battle ignited over the holiday weekend, when Wiley was arrested at an Orlando hotel and booked on a domestic battery charge after Annemarie told deputies he had threatened her and poked her in the cheek. In his new response, Wiley denies ever hitting, pushing, grabbing or touching her in anger during the trip, and he has previously told the court a witness from that weekend will refute the allegations.
He was released on $1,000 bond and faces a possible misdemeanor charge, with an arraignment scheduled for Aug. 4.
Days after the arrest, a judge granted Annemarie’s request for a temporary restraining order, requiring Wiley to stay away from her and their three children, ages 6 to 10, and to move out of the family’s Encino home while she holds temporary sole custody. In his filing, Wiley describes the loss of contact with his kids as one of the most painful parts of the ordeal and asks the court to weigh the evidence thoroughly before ruling.
What happens next
This is not Wiley’s first public pushback. Shortly after the divorce filing, he posted a statement declaring the allegations false and vowing to respond with evidence rather than emotion, while leveling his own accusations at Annemarie.
The temporary restraining order remains in effect until a hearing set for July 24, when a judge will decide whether to extend it. Until then, the two sides remain locked in dueling narratives about what really happened inside their marriage, with the couple’s children caught squarely in the middle.
SOURCE: TMZ